The width of recreational vehicles is effectively limited by the width of public roads. Accordingly, it is increasingly common to provide recreational vehicles or even a manufactured home with a slide out room which can be retracted into the main living quarters when the product is being moved or driven, but which can be extended from the main living quarters to provide auxiliary living space when the unit is parked for use or when the manufactured home is assembled at the home site. Because the interface between the slide out room and the main living quarters provides a path through which rain, dust and other environmental contaminants may enter the unit, a flexible rubber seal or other compressible seal is typically provided between the outer wall of the slide out room and the structure defining the main living quarters. The seal prevents the ingress of water through the interface between the slide out room and the main living quarters when the room is retracted. Such a seal is especially necessary during travel, because wind-driven rain, moisture, dirt or other contaminants can easily penetrate the interface between the slide out room and the main living quarters as the product travels over the roadway.
Unfortunately, when the vehicle encounters turns or bumps in the roadway, the vehicle rocks and sways. This rocking or swaying motion causes the slide out room to move slightly relative to the main living quarters. When this happens, the movement of the room relative to the main living quarters momentarily pulls the top and the sides of the slide out room away from the compressible seal, and thus creates an avenue of ingress for wind-driven moisture, dirt and other contaminants. Accordingly, there exists a need for a device that prevents the ingress of water and other contaminants by maintaining the integrity of the seal between the slide out room and the main living quarters.
The present invention provides a mechanism for quickly and easily locking the slide out room in the retracted position within the main living quarters of the vehicle or housing product, and provides enough force so that the slide out room is firmly compressed against the compressible seal which thus eliminates any possible leakage. The device includes a telescoping rod having an outer member and an inner member that is slidably disposed within the outer member. The rod is placed so that rod outer end abuts the inner face of the outer wall of the main living quarters and the inner end abuts the outer face of the header board or bulkhead that runs along the top surface of the slide out room's inner edge. The inner end of the rod includes a locking handle which is an over center actuator device used to extend or retract the rod. When the rod is extended, the force exerted by the rod against the inner face of the header board pushes the top edge of the room towards the interior of the vehicle. This forces the top edge of the slide out room outer wall into contact with the outer wall of the vehicle, which compresses the seal at the interface. Thus, even when the vehicle encounters turns or rough roads, the locking device maintains the side and top walls of the slide out room in contact with the compressible seal that extends around the interface between the main structure and the slide out room.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a locking device for use on a recreational vehicle or a manufactured house equipped with a slide out room.
It is another object of this invention to provide a locking device that maintains the integrity of the seal between a slide out room and the main body of a recreational vehicle while the vehicle is being transported.
A further object of this invention is to provide a locking device for slide out rooms that is easy to adjust and easy to install.
These and other objects of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following description.